Abstract
This paper presents empirical findings on manufacturing characteristics at subcontractor small and medium sized manufacturing enterprises (SMME). The SMME:s play a significant role in today’s economy, but they do not act to the same extent on the global market as the international larger companies. To remain competitive on the global market SMME:s should improve manufacturing.
The study has been accomplished in different industries and different sizes to identify their characteristics. The results indicate that SMME:s are focused on process technologies and not on the entire manufacturing system. The companies also have difficulties in locating and hiring skilled people.
Access provided by Autonomous University of Puebla. Download to read the full chapter text
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
6 References
Gunasekaran, A., Forker, L., Kobu, B., 2000, Improving operations performance in a small company: a case study, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 20/3:316–226.
European Commission, 2007, Putting SMEs First, DG Enterprise and Industry.
Kungl. Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademin (IVA) 2005, Made in Sweden-Produktion för konkurernskraft-Syntesrapport, Stockholm.
Cagliano, R., Spina, G., 2002, A comparison of practice-performance models between small manufacturers and subcontractors, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 22/12:1367–1388.
Nutek, 2007, årsbok 2007, Stockholm.
Teknisk Framsyn 2003, Produktionssystemet-Sveriges välfärdsmotor, Stockholm.
Greatbanks, R., 1998, Can SMME’s be World Class?, Proceedings of Conference on Stimulating Manufacturing Excellence in Small and Medium sized Enterprises, Sheffield.
Achanga, P., Shehab, E., Roy, R., Nelder, G., 2006, Critical success factors for lean implementation within SMEs, Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 17/4:460–471
Grando, A., Belvedere, V., 2006, District’s manufacturing performances: A comparison among large, small-to-medium-sized and district enterprises, International Journal of Production Economics, 104/1:85–99.
Pasanen, M., 2003, In Search of Factors Affecting SME Performance, University of Kuopio, Kuopio.
Steiner, M.P., Solem, O., 1988, Factors for success in small manufacturing firms, Journal of Small Business Management, 26/1:51–56.
Julien, P.A., 1998, The State of the Art in Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Ashgate, Aldershot.
Bryman, A., Bell, E., 2003, Business Research Methods, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Miles, M.B., Huberman, M.A., 1994, Qualitative Data Analysis, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks.
Miltenburg, J., 2005, Manufacturing Strategy, Productivity Press, New York.
European Union, 2003, SME Definition.
Karlsson, C., Larsson, J., 1993, A macroview of the Gnosjö entrepreneurial spirit, in Small business dynamics, Edited by Karlsson, C., Storey, D., Johannisson, B., Routledge, London.
Berlin, L., 2006, GNOHOW-Gnosjöregionens klustersatsning, Gislaved.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag London Limited
About this paper
Cite this paper
Löfving, M., Johansson, C., Winroth, M. (2008). Manufacturing Characteristics of Subcontractor SMME:s — an Empirical Study. In: Mitsuishi, M., Ueda, K., Kimura, F. (eds) Manufacturing Systems and Technologies for the New Frontier. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84800-267-8_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84800-267-8_10
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-84800-266-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-84800-267-8
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)